NASA Probe to Explore Jupiter
When the Juno spacecraft blasts off this August, it will embark on a mission to understand the origin and evolution of our largest planetary neighbor, Jupiter.
Scientists believe that Jupiter and the sun may be formed by the same heavy elements. So NASA is sending a solar-powered probe to determine if the gas giant has a solid core.
The Juno mission will investigate Jupiter’s origins, its interior structure, its deep atmosphere and its magnetosphere from an innovative, highly elliptical orbit with a suite of seven science instruments. The five-year mission will also include a JunoCam to take the first pictures of Jupiter’s polar regions.
During a year-long experiment, Juno will map the magnetic field of Jupiter in a series of orbits around the poles, wrapping it in a net. This will help scientists determine the dynamics of Jupiter’s interior and of the three-dimensional structure of the polar magnetosphere. NASA animation shows how this will be achieved.
Jupiter’s Magnetic Field
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I cringe when I read “companies import most of their high-value-added, high intellectual property components because there is a limited skill-base in the United States to make these components.”! Isn’t the USA supposed to be the home of the “best workers in the world” … who are limited by the higher wages that they demand for their talents?…. or are we really “paper tigers” whose pride will precede our fall?